Best Beaches in British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands (or BVI) offers honeymoon couples a huge choice of unspoiled white-sand beaches that are easily found by boat or car.

Discover beaches lined with resorts that boast an array of creature comforts, or strike out on your own to find a quiet secluded beach for an intimate picnic and swim.

The best beaches in the British Virgin Islands, include…


Cane Garden Bay Beach

(Tortola) – Pick your own spot to sunbathe and swim on this gorgeous 2km-long crescent of palm-fringed, soft white sand that shelves into calm turquoise waters surrounded by forest-clad hills.

Cane Garden Bay Beach is regarded as Tortola’s best beach and is a favourite anchorage point for yachties.

Facilities include sun loungers and umbrellas for hire as well as water sports equipment including Hobie cats, kayaks and windsurfing boards.

The beach is lined with guesthouses, villas, restaurants and bars. Cane Garden Bay Beach is located on the northwest shore, around 3km from Road Town.


Apple Bay Beach

(Tortola) – Catch the perfect wave off this small, 400m-long white-sand beach; the surf is especially good in January and February.

Relax with a cold drink at Bomba's Surfside Shack, a classic surfies’ beach bar.

Come for a day or stay longer at one of the beachfront hotels. Apple Bay Beach is west of Cane Garden Bay Beach and just over the hill from Long Bay Beach on the north coast of Tortola.


Long Bay West Beach

(Tortola) – Unwind on one of BVI’s most beautiful beaches, a 2km-long stretch of soft white sand fringed by swaying palm trees and backed by rolling green hills – perfect for jogging, romantic strolls, sunset moments and, of course, swimming.

Facilities include sun loungers, umbrellas, water sports equipment and a restaurant, courtesy of the beachside Long Bay Beach Resort. Long Bay West Beach lies on the northwest coast, around 8km from Road Town.


Smugglers Cove Beach

(Tortola) – Surrounded by scenic tree-clad hills, dig your toes into the soft white sands of this kilometre-long secluded beach that shelves gently into tranquil Belmont Bay.

Sunbathe on the beach, swim in the calm water or relax in the shade of swaying palm trees.

Smugglers Cove offers good snorkelling close to shore over a coral garden of sea fans, sponges, elkhorn and brain corals teeming with parrotfish. There are no facilities here so you may want to pack a picnic.

Smugglers Cove Beach, sometimes called Lower Belmont Bay, lies at the west end of Tortola, opposite the offshore island of Great Thatch and facing Jost Van Dyke Island, around 9km from Road Town.


Brewers Bay Beach

(Tortola) – Pick your own spot to sunbathe, swim and snorkel on this gorgeous 1.2km-long, palm-fringed white-sand beach that shelves gently into the tranquil turquoise waters of Brewers Bay.

Except for a beachside bar, there are no facilities on this idyllic beach. Framed by tree-clad hills, scenic Brewers Bay Beach is located just east of Cane Garden Bay, around 4km from Road Town.


Josiah's Bay Beach

(Tortola) – Head to this secluded and typically quiet white-sand beach located east of Josiah's Bay Beach beneath tree-covered Buta Mountain.

There are no facilities on this beach – perfect for simply enjoying the scenic beauty of this idyllic spot.


Elizabeth Beach

(Tortola) – Sunbathe and swim on this 700m-long crescent of soft white sand that shelves into the calm turquoise waters of Long Bay East.

Come for a day and enjoy the facilities at the beachfront Lambert Beach Resort, or stay longer.

Elizabeth Beach is located on the northeast coast on Beef Island Road, around 6km from Road Town.


The Baths

(Virgin Gorda) – Pick your own spot to sunbathe on a series of unspoiled white-sand beaches.

Then swim and snorkel amid limpid pools and grottos flooded with turquoise seawater surrounded by gigantic granite boulders.

The Baths – a collection of massive granite boulders up to 12m (40ft) in diameter, surrounded by white sand beaches and secret rock pools – encompass the beaches and rocky shoreline on the southwestern tip of Virgin Gorda and are part of a protected national park encompassing 273ha along the southwest coast.

This protected area also includes Devil's Bay, which is easily reached by boat or by following the series of steps and rope handrails along the coastal trail through the boulders from The Baths.

Devil's Bay is also a popular daytime anchourage that is ideal for swimming and snorkelling.

A short walk or swim north of The Baths sits Spring Bay Beach, one of the best of the island's beaches, with white sand, clear water and good snorkelling among nature-sculpted boulders. The gorgeous white sands of Trunk Bay Beach follow Spring Bay Beach.

Onshore facilities at The Baths include bathrooms and lockers, creating a safe and enjoyable experience in this unique environment.

The Baths are located around 2km south of Spanish Town between Spring Bay and Devel's Bay.

Note: Strong ocean swells may occur during the winter months, preventing use of the mooring buoys and access to the beach from the sea. Swimming is also discouraged during these periods, due to the strong currents.


Mahoe Bay Beach

(Virgin Gorda) – Come on a day trip to sunbathe, swim and snorkel on this splendid white-sand beach, which shelves into vivid blue water backed by bush-clad hills just north of Savannah Bay. Facilities provided by the beach resorts include toilets, restaurants and bars.


Savannah Bay Beach

(Virgin Gorda) – Pick your own spot to sunbathe, swim and snorkel on the gorgeous, 600m-long crescent of white sand that shelves into the turquoise waters of Savannah Bay, located north of Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour and surrounded by bush-clad hills.


Loblolly Bay Beach

(Anegada) – Pick your own spot to sunbathe and swim on this secluded white-sand beach that stretches for kilometres around the turquoise waters of Loblolly Bay.

Relax on a bench beneath a thatched parasol, climb to the lookout for 360-degree views and enjoy a cold drink at a choice of beach bars and restaurants that lie scattered along the beach.

Facilities include sun shacks and hammocks slung between the sea grapes.


Deadman's Bay

(Peter Island) – Unwind on this palm-fringed white-sand beach that lies on the north shore of Peter Island and is a popular yacht anchorage.

Come for the day or stay longer at the exclusive Peter Island Resort where you can enjoy a range of creature comforts and water sports activities.


Latest update: Top beaches in British Virgin Islands: 6 May, 2022



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